Just watched the movie Hair, 1979. Very good. But wondering...

[Kajun Gal]

Back then, in the 60s and 70s, meaningful music was written to reflect the times. Where is that today?

[smirkymonkey]

1. One of my favorite musicals.

The music and choreography were amazing. I think I would like to watch it again soon.

[Kajun Gal]

8. Roku Channel

[LeftInTX]

38. It's on the Roku Channel (The free one??)

I'll check it out!

[Kajun Gal]

62. Yes!

[HeiressofBickworth]

25. Quite a long time ago I found a recording of

additional music from Hair.

Wikipedia says:
RCA Victor also released DisinHAIRited (RCA Victor LSO-1163): an album of songs that had been written for the show, but saw varying amounts of stage time. Some of the songs were cut between the Public and Broadway, some had been left off the original cast album due to space, and a few were never performed onstage.

"One Thousand-Year-Old Man"
"So Sing the Children of the Avenue"
"Manhattan Beggar"
"Sheila Franklin/Reading the Writing"
"Washing the World"
"Exanaplanetooch"
"Hello There"
"Mr. Berger"
"I'm Hung"
"The Climax"

"Electric Blues"
"I Dig"
"Going Down"
"You Are Standing on My Bed"
"The Bed"
"Mess O' Dirt"
"Dead End"
"Oh Great God of Power"
"Eyes Look Your Last/Sentimental Ending"

I've listened to the sound track a number of times and I always include the second recording. Love the music and love the words and love the anti-war lyrics. Not a real fan of the movie version because they cleaned up the language somewhat and some of the music just wasn't as good as that on the soundtrack.
P.S. I was a teenager in the 1960's; four of my classmates died in Vietnam; my brother filed for CO status and was denied resulting in my mother, brother and sister emigrating to Australia. Hair really spoke to my generation.

[smirkymonkey]

29. It was a little before my time, but it still spoke to me.

They just don't make them like that anymore. It's too bad because it is a great way to reach people on an emotional level.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. What do you listen to today?

[Kajun Gal]

4. Classic Rock, New Age

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. You're not going to find a lot of new protest music in classic rock or new age.

[Kajun Gal]

7. Do you have any recommendations?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

21. Boots Riley. Beyonce. Kendrick Lamar. Alynda Segarra.

Joey Bada$$. Ibeyi. Hurray for the Riff Raff. Google will help you get started.

[edhopper]

9. It has been pointed out

Last edited Sun Aug 5, 2018, 08:14 AM - Edit history (2)

I misread the post.
Though Classic Rock stations play new music from Classic Rockers, which include the occasional protest song.

[Kajun Gal]

13. Ummm, yeh...Classic Rock...

[fishwax]

14. the poster said you won't find a lot of *new* protest music

Not that there wasn't protest music then. But if that's all you're listening to now, of course you won't find anything specifically about the present circumstances. (Though plenty of it, alas, remains relevant on general principle.)

[Kajun Gal]

16. Thank you! Exactly!

[edhopper]

45. Oh

as Emily Latella would say, that's different, nevermind.

[Kajun Gal]

63. LOL!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. Are they new? No.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Saw it on Broadway in 1969. It was quite avant-garde even for the time

with all the naked people - but unforgettable. Great stuff. I still love the music.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

6. One of the Greatest in Rock Operas that had it's origins about mid-century.

Seems like it spawned a whole genre, or was part of the flow to do that. Lots of creativity and hope back then.

[struggle4progress]

10. Initials

[csziggy]

22. I always thought they stole the idea for that song from Allen Sherman

[struggle4progress]

35. +

[Dave Starsky]

43. Thanks for that.

I STILL hear comedians crib from the late, great Allan Sherman. That dude was an absolute genius.

[notdarkyet]

32. My mother bought tickets to an off broadway production in Illinois. It was awesome. Very meaningful

I bought a copy of the album , same as yours, when I got back. Both my mom and husband are gone now. I asked my mom during break if she was offended, it was mostly an older audience and they gave a long standing ovation. Anyway my mom said no, she lived through it.

[edhopper]

11. saw the revival on Bradway a few years ago

still a powerful play.

[Recursion]

12. That would be Hip Hop (nt)

[Petosky Stone]

15. Hip-Hop and Rap

... are reflections of now. Sad as that may be.

Rock is dead.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. Why is that sad?

[LeftInTX]

39. Our parents complained about Hair....

The old generation always complains about the younger generation

[Petosky Stone]

60. You're right

The appreciation of the further decline of morality and respect should be tolerated, if not celebrated.

Violence, gangs, guns, drugs, sexism, cop killing and random murder are just issues that I don't fully understand, I suppose.

Because I'm old.

[Blue_true]

17. The same trend is happening in fictional literature.

Few writers are looking at issues in society and krafting meaningful literature around a theme about those issues. Most fictional literature today is escapist bullshit, or celebrity cult stuff.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

23. I don't see this at all.

[Blue_true]

24. Well, I do. nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

27. Where do you get your book recommendations?

[Blue_true]

34. I go to categories under fiction and read.

I see a lot of fantasy dystopian stuff and romance laced stuff, but no hard fictional literature that calls out people like religious leaders, political leaders, business leaders for outright dishonesty or just pure evil using a fictional story context. All fictional literature is interpretive to the reader, I may read a book and not see what you see in it, I gave my view as a reader and a person who compare contemporary fictional literature to stuff that I read in middle, high school, college, when I was a younger person. The stuff today just don't measure up IMO, just like a lot of tv and movie stuff are remakes of old movies or characters with little original movie or character development. As far as I am concerned, we live in an era of a cult of personality, an unknown writer or moviemaker can make a potential significant piece of work and get no notice, but a famous actor or politician or writer can do far less significant work and get all types of recognition, because those people are already famous. I seriously believe that an unknown Melville, Rawlings, Steinbeck, ect, would die as unknowns today because of the cult of personality over social significance of work. There is no bigger red alarm than a person as vacuous and intellectually insignificant as Donald Trump becoming our President.

[Hekate]

36. You should look for book reviews in the LA Times and other great papers. Not "best seller" lists...

...but the actual reviews. There are some excellent new writers out there.

[Blue_true]

61. You sort of made my point, the best sellers and significant sellers are often not

addressing real contemporary societal problems.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

49. Some great newer fiction that addresses modern political themes that might appeal to you:

Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi.

Exit West, Moshin Hamid.

Saturday, Ian McEwen.

Mudbound, Hillary Jordan.

The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas. It's a YA book, but honestly, YA is kind of a bellwether for addressing social issues.

Little Brother, Cory Doctorow. Also YA.

[fishwax]

18. It's in hip hop, alt-country, indie rock

probably metal, too, but I'm not that up on metal these days.

Edited to add alt-country

[Docreed2003]

26. It's out there...

You just have to search for it. Hip-hop has some great musicians putting out topical music, as does the alt-country & Americana scene. It's out there, you just won't hear most of it on top 40 music stations

[Lochloosa]

28. You won't hear any of it on top 40

[Docreed2003]

33. Nope...you sure won't

But to me, searching for it is the most fun...

[Dave Starsky]

44. This is so true. I've discovered a lot of great bands lately.

And I, too, despaired of the shitty state of music today.

I leverage Google for "bands that sound like..." and work from there.
Also, if I'm at a grocery store or something, and I hear something I really like, I immediately Shazam that baby to find out what it is. There are apps like Hoopla (available through the library) and Amazon Prime Music that then put it at your fingertips. I've discovered a universe of great music out there that I've never heard before.

And no, they will NEVER play it on commercial radio, which is designed to attract as many ears as possible by playing stuff with which people are already well familiar.

[Docreed2003]

52. I do the same thing with Shazaam and Soundhound

I've picked up so much music that way. My kids think I'm weird when I hold up my phone in a restaurant to listen to songs!

[Dave Starsky]

53. Ha ha. I will drop everything and run up to the closest ceiling speaker I can find....

And stand on tiptoe with my phone in the air to get it.

I know it probably looks ridiculous, but a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

[Brother Buzz]

30. The music is everywhere, and good stuff, too. Just don't expect it to be reflected in the charts

Streaming has effectively killed the charts forever; social media has replaced the charts, just ask the hip people.

[milestogo]

31. I get a kick out of seeing a young Treat Williams in that.

What a hunk.

[ProudLib72]

37. What do you mean by "meaningful"? Political? Soulful?

I think you have stumbled on something without realizing it. Pop music is a reflection of the majority of listeners' wants. Therefore, if pop music is meaningless now, it must be inferred that the listeners want shallow music. You have to go outside of the mainstream. Just go listen to some Sleater-Kinney.

[edbermac]

40. Lots of protest songs back then.

[Donkees]

41. Galt MacDermot - The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In) (Hair) (1979)

We starve-look
At one another
Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation
Of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Somewhere
Inside something there is a rush of
Greatness
Who knows what stands in front of
Our lives
I fashion my future on films in space
Silence
Tells me secretly
Everything
Everything

Manchester England England
Manchester England England
(Eyes look your last)
Across the Atlantic Sea
(Arms take your last embrace)
And I'm a genius genius
(And lips oh you the
Doors of breath)
I believe in God
(Seal with a righteous kiss)
And I believe that God believes in Claude
(Seal with a righteous kiss )
That's me, that's me, that's me
(The rest is silence
The rest is silence
The rest is silence)

We starve-look
At one another
Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation
Of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes
Singing
Our space songs on a spider web sitar
Life is around you and in you
Answer for Timothy Leary, dearie

Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in

[JustAnotherGen]

42. Off the top of my head

Hozier - Take Me To Church

Really listen to it.

[hexola]

46. Fog Of War

[hexola]

47. War At The End Of The World

[samnsara]

48. I love that show and yeah where are the anti-wars songs now?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

50. Y'all need to start using your google fingers.

Music is created, produced and disseminated very differently now than the '60s and '70s. You're much more likely to find the kind of political or protest songs you're looking for by searching online than listening to the radio, looking at the charts or waiting for the news to marvel at "kids these days." It's also going to sound much different than it did in the '60s and '70s. Also, people like to remember themselves listening to "Ohio" and "War Pigs" and don't think about "Yummy Yummy Yummy" or "Green Tambourine," which were also all over the charts at the time.

[asiliveandbreathe]

58. Beatles - Rolling Stones - Beach Boys -

Yellow Submarine...PULEEZ....I like Green Tambourine..for the instrumental genius.....Steely Dan - a favorite....for the "music".....

[Greybnk48]

51. As a former military wife during Viet Nam, the draft

kicked the urgency and fervor of the resistance up about 5+ notches. Thousands of kids right out of high school were being snatched up, shipped out, and killed in South East Asia! My ex-husband volunteered so he could control where he went and with which military branch because he knew there would be no deferment for him. Not enough family pull or money.

That's the difference. That was the trigger.

[procon]

54. That brought back fond memories.

Me... the cute young hippy chick scootin' down the LA freeway, driving to work in my first new car, a Beetle. The aftermarket 8 track stereo would be blaring the tunes from Hair and I'd be doing some weed and singing Aquarius and Good Morning Starshine with my long hair streaming in the wind.

I'm an old hippy chick nowadays, and I have an urge to order the Hair album and hear all those popular old tunes again.

[asiliveandbreathe]

55. Hair, in Boston, on stage..awesome - many many years ago..

Music meaningful, reflect the times...where is that today? Good question...just a thought...

Red Solo Cup

Now, red solo cup is the best receptical
For barbecues, tailgates, fairs, and festivals
And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicals
If you prefer drinkin' from glass
Hey, red solo cup is cheap and disposable
And in fourteen years, they are decomposable
And unlike my home, they are not foreclosable
Freddy, man, can kiss my ass

[WhiskeyGrinder]

56. Yeah, there was nothing stupid on the airwaves back in the good ol' days.

[asiliveandbreathe]

57. Oh yes - certainly...I was just answering the question...

..Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini...comes to mind....just answering the question and NOT changing the subject...

Hey, have a great day.....

[randr]

59. It is everywhere

I DJ at local community station previewing new music every week. There are so many old and new artists who are absolutely relevant to today's issues I am overwhelmed.
Start with Shemeka Copelands new album, Americas Child, and find a alt music station.